Tony, Oh Tony

So what did I do to celebrate Tony's 100th episode that I TVo'ed and just got around to watching? Well, it was filmed in Paris and besides grabbing some triscuits and string cheese to go with my Oak Leaf Merlot ( that, incidentally, costs friggin $2.97 at Walmart)...I smoked hookah.
  First let's get back to the triscuits and string cheese. It's all I had. Its all I can find here unless I make my own bread and "fancy stuff", which I do occasionally. But when I see my much beloved Tony eating for-real French breads, cheeses, and more- than- three- dollar wine, I have to share the experience somehow. All I could find was some -almost- -but -not-too-stale reduced fat triscuits,and some string cheese that I bought for my daughters lunchboxes. Add the cheap wine, and I can pretend I am in Gay Paree eating amazing food and not in BFE eating processed crap. Throw in the Hookah and some coconut shisha and I am a somewhat happy camper........or I will keep drinking the wine until bread or triscuits or hostess Twinkies...doesn't really make a difference what it is.
    For those of you who read this for the bellydance stuff, this is a post about Hookah. Just letting you know. For those of you purists who have never smoked a cigarette ( or anything else), or who eat only organic this or that and who would never poison their bodies with tobacco then just X out of this post. I like a drink, I like a smoke, I like some Hookah occasionally.This post is about kickin' back with some fruity tobacco and a significant other, sipping cheap wine, wanting to be in Paris with Tony.
   Yeah, I write a non-bellydance related post every once in a while, just let me get it out of my system.
    So lets clarify. A Hookah is a water pipe in which you smoke Shisha which is a fruity tobacco blend that only has .5% tobacco. It is very common in the Middle East. So, as a reformed smoker ( quit in '02) I can smoke this stuff occasionally and it doesn't make me want to go buy a pack of menthol's the next day.
  The idea hit me to buy a hookah several years ago when I wanted to have a hookah party. I went online and researched hookahs, shisha, and everything that goes along with it. I carefully selected one and got a "sampler" of shisha flavors....apple, orange, rose, cinnamon, banana, coconut, licorice, and candy. I went to website after website until I finally found the proper way to light the thing. ( you'd be amazed at the massive "hookah culture" out there).


Sorry for the crappy pic...

    The hookah party was a huge success.....we did a sassy drum solo choreographed by my teacher at the time, Donna...several people did solos ( including a veil dance to Tool by moi), and it was a lot of fun. But then, after the smoke cleared ( duh-dum), and I cleaned up, I was out two hundred and now I had this hookah, and shisha of every flavor.
I am pretty sure I shelved the thing for a while until hubby and I wanted something special but weren't sure what it was. One night while watching Lady Chatterley's Lover ( or something like that), I suggested the hookah,and the rest,they say was history.
So if you have any interest at all in this treat, lemme try to sell ya on it. Since we have gotten rid of all the people that are sticks in the mud, here are some reasons to buy and have a Hookah of your very own....

Have Yourself a Hookah

1. Shisha is made up of fruit, molasses, and a teeny bit of tobacco. It smells good. It tastes good. It doesn't make you cough your brains out, the smoke is really mellow.
( I do NOT recommend tainting your hookah with anything other than shisha.....I think that is all I need to say on that.)
2. If you have a tendency to go completely overboard on everything like I do, owning a hookah goes with the Middle- Eastern-I'm -a- bellydancer -thing really well.
3.It is a nice surprise for friends. It is something interesting to bring out when you have people over.
4. The initial investment can be a bit pricey, but then you won't have to spend any more money until you run out of shisha. ( and a little goes a long way)
5. Shisha comes in so many varieties and flavors! It is so fun to pick out and try different kinds. Places like the Hookah Company have great sampler packs. There are kinds that are pricey like Starbuzz Shisha and kinds that are more standard, like Al Fakher. The flavors are so much fun! Some of the more odd ones I have come across: Cola, Mojito, Mocha latte, Bubble Gum, Pumpkin Pie, spearmint....I could go on forever. ( my personal favorites are the standards, Rose and Apple).

So if you want to buy one of these bad boys here is what you need.

1. Obviously, a Hookah. if you plan on entertaining, get one with two or more hoses. If you don't want your mother in law seeing it, then get a smaller one. Either way I recommend getting a decent mid-line Hookah.I have heard that the cheaper ones have a tendency to break easily, and we want this to be a one time investment, right? The Hookah Company is where we bought ours, and I have heard that it is the best,most reputable place to get your hookah.
2. Charcoals. Get these off of EBay, or some other cheap place. The Hookah websites charge too much for these and you can get them for MUCH cheaper elsewhere. Also, get a decent amount. One little bowl pack of shisha will take two to three charcoals, so you have a tendency to go through these pretty quickly.
  As an aside I learned how to use these charcoals when I was a young Witch in Germany many years ago. They will burn the hell out of you if you are not careful. Get a good pair of tongs, and remember, even when they look grayish, or just plain black they are still hot enough to take off a layer of flesh or two.
3. Aluminum foil, and a needle. You can get one of those fancy metal screens to put the charcoals on, but I like aluminum foil with holes poked in it much better. ( I know, I am slightly ghetto like that).
4. SHISHA! This is the fun part! Pick out flavors that sound fun, but make sure to get at least the standard apple. There is a reason that plain old apple is popular. Once again, The Hookah Company is a good place for this.
 Note: There ARE herbal blends that contain no tobacco, but I have heard they are gross.
Get some plastic bags to place each pack of shisha in, it can be messy.
5.Something to place the Hookah on. Goddess forbid that a charcoal would fall on the floor. It would be all over, my friend. I use a bit of cardboard, but in the past I have used a plastic crate, a bit of wood, basically whatever I could find to keep my Hookah from being knocked over, and if it did, so that I wouldn't ruin the carpet. That'd be hard to live down.
                  
Here are some extra sites that will help if you want to buy one of these bad boys....

Hookah Forum - warning. These people ain't kiddin'.

Smoking Hookah.com- pretty much everything you need to know.

and again.....The Hookah Company - I was really impressed with the quality of the items, the packaging, all of it. As much as I recommend them, I should get some free shisha or something...

And last but not least....this charcoal looks fine, right? Looks like it is not lit? Remember that this thing was hotter than Hades when I took this pic.

Just covering my ass, warning you.